Why is London Bridge Closed to Americans despite our automatic visas? We were the darlings of tourism post WW2? Now even London, our bestie, is closed to us. 116 foreign countries allow U.S. citizens in with a passport, according to PassportIndex.org. Things have change with Covid. Example: entry used to be automatic from The UK. Now Americans have a 14 day shelter in place quarantine and are invited in for essential travel only.
What does your first pandemic vacation feel like? I just took 5 days off and traveled to a new location, stayed at a hotel, ate in restaurants, played golf, walked in parks and on a beach. I was able to chat with others at a distance or behind a mask and by Day 2 it all came together: We can do this and enjoy it.
It is July 4, let’s be patriotic and let the government spy on us. Here is one practical reason to let the government spy on you. You should get Global Entry now. Global Priority is a popular program that allows travelers coming home from overseas to re-enter the United States on an expedited basis. You fill out copious forms on line and email them. One of the hard ones for me personally is to list every country visited and when visited. Be prepared. …
Over the Rainbow… Women ready to travel? Time is getting nearer and nearer when we will. The virus is no Wizard of Oz; it is real, dangerous and in control of our lives right now. But things are changing even though it feels like they are not.
So who is wearing the mask on our Ethiopia trip?
Slowly slowly, travel is coming back. Travelers are antsy. Airlines are sparkling clean, as are airports. Hotels are sanitized. Even the NY City subway is polished and primed.…
Packing and weather do not dance together well. During Summer, we pack light clothes and tees; therefore, forgetting that altitude and general direction of winds can create unseasonably cold air. Moreover, we forget that planes are cold and some airports as well. In winter we can overpack again forgetting that in cold weather, one can use sweaters and jeans for a number of days. But that shoes might get wet so we need a second pair.
A good way to zero in on what to pack is to make some notes on what you are wearing on different weather days.…
Haven’t we survived historic health problems on airplanes? Yes of course. And we tolerated these health problems on airplanes as the ‘norm’. Moreover remember smoking on airplanes and in the airport? We flew anyway and sat next to smokers in the departure lounge. Smoking was the ‘norm’. Therefore, there will be new ‘norms’ now. We argue that none of them is worse that what we had before.
(Image source: CDC Public Health Image Library)
Here are some of the proposed changes that might effect you when you next travel.…
We have time right now for insights into The Women’s Travel Group travel psyche. Do we have travel worries? Or travel addictions?
Do we really miss travel?
Do we really need travel?
Why do we miss travel despite what we don’t miss about travel?
Five things we really miss
We miss the anticipation of a trip: thinking about our first sighting of the domes of Florence (VisitFlorence.com Source), from the air or the crooked cobbled streets of a Moroccan souk.
One can never compare loss of family or friends to mourning for travel. Personal losses stay deep in our hearts. Mourning for travel is also real. Travel can be such an important source of joy, that its loss must also be mourned in 5 stages.
Let’s start this conversation with a comment by British author, CS Lewis. “No one ever told me that grief felt so like fear”. Today we are scared along with mourning. Are we going thru the 5 stages of mourning?…
Airplane rules? I was on an AA flight coming home from our Tuscan Cooking Trip– coach of course- and the meal choices were red sauce spaghetti or chicken with red sauce spaghetti. Well I am not allowed to eat tomato sauce, so was totally out of luck for a 7 hour flight. (Forgot to say, the snack was pizza with tomato sauce.) As I was traveling solo, had no one to complain to. Complaining is always a catharsis even when hungry. …
